Kaizer Chiefs will seek a return to winning ways when they visit TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Monday afternoon.
Chiefs are in desperate need for a victory after going two matches without one but take on a Galaxy side that are on the up, meaning their work is cut out.
Nasreddine Nabi has watched his team throw away leads in worrying fashion following the 2-2 draw with Royal AM, when they went 2-0 up, before a poor display against Polokwane City ended in a 2-0 defeat.
It leaves under pressure to deliver some positive results to the fans and the Galaxy game appears to be the perfect opportunity.
Form guide
Nabi will, however, be best advised not to expect an easy match as Galaxy are unbeaten in their last four matches, having won two while drawing as many, to collect eight of their nine points during that period.
The Rockets flew past AmaZulu in their last match to secure a 1-0 win, coming after a 1-1 draw with Polokwane that had been preceded by a 3-1 victory over Sekhukhune United and 1-1 stalemate with Stellenbosch.
Two of those four teams (Stellenbosch and Polokwane) are in the top four and it points to what ninth-placed Chiefs should expect following a 2-0 loss to Rise and Shine that came after the 2-2 draw with Royal.
Head-to-head
To add further headache to Nabi, Galaxy are one of Chiefs’ bogey teams as Amakhosi have not beaten the Rockets in their last seven meetings.
Over that period, there have been five draws and two wins for Galaxy, with Chiefs last beating them in June 2021. In fact, that is Chiefs’ only win over Galaxy in their last 10 meetings stretching back to May 2019.
What have they said?
Sphiwe Mahlangu, who scored twice when the sides last met in May as the match ended 2-2, feels Chiefs are still beatable and wants his team to take advantage of the Glamour Boys’ struggles.
“The game against Chiefs gives us a chance to increase our chances of getting into the top eight before this year ends,” he said as per the Sowetan.
“It's a game that's going to be difficult because Chiefs are a big team and they're eager to bounce back after losing against Polokwane.
“We didn't start well but since the new coach has taken over, we've been doing well. We have managed to avoid losing in our last four games and that has boosted our confidence massively.
“We are turning the corner now and we want to see ourselves in the top eight before the end of the year.”
Team news
To make things worse for Chiefs, they have key players missing through injury with Brandon Petersen, Gaston Sirino, and Bradley Cross the latest to suffer injuries, joining Edson Castillo, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Fiacre Ntwari and Dillan Solomons in the treatment room.
Meanwhile, Galaxy will be able to call upon former Chiefs man Keagan Dolly, who is keen to prove a point to his ex-employers who cut ties at the end of last season, following three injury-interrupted years when he did not realise his full potential.
Time & where to watch
The match will kick off at 15.30 at the Mbombela Stadium and will be live on SuperSport TV (SS2).
Predicted lineups
Galaxy predicted XI: Ira, Munyai, M.Mahlangu, Ndmane, Kabini, Mvelase, Khiba, Letsoalo, Mbatha, P.Mahlangu, Zajmovic
Chiefs predicted XI: Bvuma, Blom, Dortley, Miguel, Ditlhokwe, Mthethwa, Maart, Shabalala, Duba, Vilakazi, Du Preez
